


Brontide

by kirakiracats



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Era, Gen, Pre-Relationship, Titan Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 13:09:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5586856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirakiracats/pseuds/kirakiracats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of course a rogue titan would have such an affinity for the wildness of a storm. Both of them are untameable, Levi thinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brontide

**Author's Note:**

> (Brontide: noun; a sound like that of distant thunder, some of which may have seismic origins.)
> 
> So I wrote this months ago for ereriweek day 6, storm, but never uploaded it here. Recently I've been reminded that it's not awful, which is a nice realisation. It's set early-ish in canonverse and their relationship is new so not explicitly shippy (hence using the '&' tag) but please enjoy anyway~

 

Levi stands, watching as Hanji flits around the castle courtyard, shooing people with more volume than is necessary. Their excitement is predictable, but still as irritating as always. He is at least thankful that he doesn’t have to listen to them too closely, easily tuning them out due to their distance. Perched on the rooftop, it is easy to see when the last of the unauthorised soldiers scurry away from the manic squad leader, leaving only them and Eren standing below.

 

With his power still shrouded in mystery and suspicion, the less people around, the better. If they had another choice, they would take Eren a short ways from the castle grounds and perform the transformation there, like they have done before, but today it must be done here, in the largest courtyard of their temporary headquarters.

 

Over to Levi’s right is the reason for this. Part of the castle roof had collapsed inward just before dawn, exposing the interior to the elements. The recent bad weather is the cause, the heavy rainfall finally proving too much for the aged structure. Cracked tiles had allowed water to drip through onto the wooden beams that supported the ceiling, and must have been doing so for quite some time since yesterday’s deluge simply pushed the weakened wood past its limit. Levi, being chronically unable to sleep through the night and acutely unable to sleep through the echoing crash of a breaking building, had been first to the scene. From the inside, it had not been pretty. The only fortunate thing about the whole incident is that it is the ceiling of an empty room that fell, meaning no injuries and only a resulting loss of storage space.

 

Clean-up duty will take days, Levi estimates, what with the room being located at the end of the corridor furthest from both the stairs and the front entrance, but he’ll be damned if they leave the mess as it is. The debris has to be moved outside and the ceiling fixed, and then the brooms and dusters will have to come out. There’s no other choice. Levi will silence any complaints, though he’s sure none will come from his squad. Hanji, however, is another story.

 

Speaking of whom, Levi pulls himself out of his thoughts of cleaning and back to the two people on the ground. Hanji is speaking to Eren now, presumably reiterating the plan for the final time. It’s quite simple, if unorthodox. Honestly, the idea of humans shifting into titans is outlandish all on its own so this is hardly a stretch. Under the guise of an experiment, one fully sanctioned by Levi as his keeper, Eren is to trigger a shift and prove his worth. Following the knowledge gained from the spoon incident, Eren will need a motivation to do so. Today, that purpose will be to cover the hole in the roof with the provided tarp, to protect the room below from further damage; the weather isn’t looking to improve any time soon, after all. Despite it being mid-morning, Levi hasn’t seen the sun once, and cold wind is constantly trying to blow under his mantle.

 

Some people might have something to say about using a mighty, fifteen-meter-tall titan to complete such a menial task, but Levi is not one of them. Hanji had suggested the idea, practically screaming it, upon finding that sending multiple soldiers up to do it would most likely cause the whole roof to buckle under their combined weight. The last thing they want to do is ruin the building beyond repair, or put able-bodied soldiers at risk on the unstable surface. And furthermore, the corps is already short on time with the upcoming expedition and incoming recruits needing training. Eren's power has been agreed to be the best option.

 

And of course, the actual experiments can continue once he’s finished. As it is, getting to that point should have already demonstrated some control. Hanji is optimistic they can make it that far. Levi will judge it when he sees it, and is more concerned about the black clouds gathering overhead. All of them the darkest shades of grey, they hang low in the sky, oppressive almost, laden with a potential and unavoidable storm. Assessing them periodically can only do so much, Levi knows. They can’t control when the next downpour will come, but Levi would rather be already indoors at that time.

 

Hanji stepping back from Eren is the signal he gets to show they’re ready. Levi watches as Eren looks from Hanji to where he is waiting, and then raises his gaze even higher to look at the sky just as Levi had been doing seconds before. There is a moment where the boy stays just like that, head tilted up, eyes wide and expression almost thoughtful. Then he slowly brings his hand up to his mouth and bites down.

 

The bolt of yellow lightning is sudden and overwhelmingly bright, even though Levi had been expecting it. Steam obscures Eren in a pillar, which is blown away in the next gust of wind to reveal his completed titan form. Levi clenches the handgrips of his gear a little tighter, just in case. He can see why people would be intimidated by that stature and those exposed teeth, but as the titan in front of him lifts his chin and stands exactly as Eren had not a minute previously, Levi knows he has nothing to fear. Despite the new form, it is still Eren in there, obvious in the shade of his eyes, which are the same luminous green. Hanji is hopping about at the successful transformation, but a loud roll of thunder drowns out whatever they had been about to shout.

 

The sound has Levi copying Eren's stance, looking up to see small flashes of light flaring and dying intermittently in the dense cloud cover. Those hadn’t been there ten seconds ago. Levi scowls at each flicker, thinking that their day just keeps getting worse.

 

“Levi! Can you hear me?” Levi turns to his left to see Hanji land a short distance away, loosening the anchors of their wires from where they had embedded in the nearby tower wall and retracting their gear in one practiced move. They gesticulate madly as they jog over, and Levi glares at them for their carelessness on the sloped tiles. “I think the lightning that strikes during Eren's transformation has charged the atmosphere, isn’t that amazing? Oh, I wish I knew more about basic climate science! The implications of that lightning being real, and _electric_. I can’t begin to say how much I want to study it but it’s _impossible_ to trap or harness something like that. But if that provides the energy for him to materialise the titan body out of nothing then I want to know!”

 

“So what you’re saying is that this could cause a thunderstorm,” Levi says while Hanji takes a break to breathe from their hurried ranting. They stop for a second, contemplating something, and Levi can tell he only has a fraction of their attention.

 

“Well, yes, I kind of said that. But I fail to see how that’s of any importance when—” Hanji pauses when a raindrop hits their goggles. Levi watches as they do bring a hand up to wipe it away, his expression souring.

 

“Our window of time is closing, I won’t continue the experiments in bad weather. We better hurry up.” Another few drops fall on the two of them, and Hanji's face falls in disappointment before they sigh unhappily.

 

“You’re right,” they murmur, and then turn to where Eren is standing, having not moved at all during their conversation. Waving their hands above their head doesn’t catch his eye, since he’s still watching the sky. In this form, Levi can’t read what he’s thinking, but his focus is intense. Levi grimaces when Hanji shouts right next to his ear. “Eren! Do you remember your goal?!”

 

That massive head drops to meet their eyes calmly, staring for a short moment. Then Eren nods twice, pulling an overzealous reaction from Hanji and relief from Levi. Eren just has to fulfil his duty and then they can all go inside and resume their normal daily schedule, and Levi hopes it will be that simple.

 

His movements seem slow when he’s this large, Levi notes as Eren reaches down to pick up the square of tarp folded on the ground. The rain is coming down a little faster, and Levi feels unusually impatient just watching. He is glad when Eren gently spreads the waterproof material over the hole, blocking any more rain from showering the wreckage, and steps closer to help and grab the rope at one corner. It’s the trickiest part, since before Levi had gone up, there had been nowhere for the rope to hook onto and secure the tarp. The nail he fastens the loop of rope over is sturdy, but he’s not completely confident it will hold if the wind gets too strong. He straightens up to see Eren affixing the other three corners to the edges of the roof, his huge hands moving with surprising dexterity. It even appears that he’s made the tarp evenly taut, and Levi feels justified in being slightly impressed.

 

Eren is fixing the last knot as a fork of white lightning darts down from the clouds to the west, close enough to illuminate the shadows cast by the long hair hanging over his angular face. The following boom of thunder seems to distract him, and Eren tilts his head back for the third time. To Levi, it’s as if he’s eagerly waiting for the next one. But he can’t address that right now, not when he has to walk over and check Eren's tying skills for his own peace of mind.

 

The job is finished in under five minutes from Eren first biting his thumb. It’s the kind of efficiency that Levi loves. However, the clouds are truly trying to burst open now, unforgiving. Levi pulls the hood of his cloak up, feeling the fabric already damp as he does so. It won’t take long to go from damp to drenched, not with the kind of torrential rain they’ve been enduring for the last week.

 

“Hanji, that’s all for today. We need to organise for the remaining tasks,” Levi says, raising his voice just loud enough to be heard over the wind and the drumming of raindrops around them. But they don’t respond to him, instead cupping their hands around their mouth and calling for Eren.

 

“Eren! Good job! Now see if you can get out by yourself!” Levi clicks his tongue, accepting that Hanji wouldn’t give up the opportunity for one last test but not liking it in the slightest. There’s no response from Eren though. A new flash of lightning comes and goes, and still he remains unmoving. It is only when the resulting thunderclap reaches them that he makes any indication of still being present. A tilt of his head and a flick of both pointed ears is all, but at least Levi doesn’t have to worry about Eren doing something like falling asleep in there.

 

A second roll of thunder confuses Levi. It had sounded close but not as loud, similar to the first but not exactly the same. While the first had sounded like a whip crack that trailed off gradually, this one is more of a continuous low rumble. When Eren's mouth opens a little and the rumbling changes in pitch, Levi understands that it is him who is making the noise. What he doesn’t understand is why. But there is a lot more research that needs to be done to know how much of Eren's mind is conscious when in this state, and that isn’t Levi area of expertise.

 

“I’m cutting him out,” Levi tells Hanji, his clothes now soaked. He doesn’t give them time to reply before he’s drawing two blades, shooting out a wire, and leaping from the roof, activating the gear mechanism to bring him up to the height of Eren's head. One big green eye flicks to him as he arcs past, and then he’s having to change direction mid-air to land on Eren's shoulder since Eren has covered his nape with one hand. Levi frowns at the obstruction. This is the first time this has happened. “Oi, Eren, what’s the meaning of this,” he says, annoyance obvious in his tone. It’s not a question, and Eren can’t answer in words, but that giant eye manages to look at him meaningfully, holding his gaze before looking up to the sky and then back to Levi again. Water drips off Eren's nose and hair as Levi tries to decipher his meaning, as unbelievable as it first seems. “You want to stay out here?”

 

Levi can’t believe his luck when Eren gives him a slow nod, almost tentative, which is ridiculous coming from a titan. The high-pitched growl he lets out also sounds pleading. Levi is wet through to his skin now, feeling like he’s been swimming instead of standing outside, and Eren wants to stay out longer. Levi thinks it’s crazy, until he remembers all of Eren's unexplained oddities these past few days.

 

He hadn’t pried when Eren would walk around absently whenever it would rain, presuming it had just been an ordinary reaction to dull weather and being confined indoors to not track mud everywhere. Every time Eren's concentration seemed to slip during conversations with the squad, Levi had let it slide. One evening, Eren's eyes had been drifting closed, as the rain pelted the windows of the mess hall, but for reasons yet unknown to Levi, the boy had shown reluctance to go to bed. Levi thought that the quiet of the dungeon would be preferable, but he must have been wrong.

 

And whenever Levi would walk into the room to inspect the boy’s cleaning efforts, he would always catch him just at the moment he turned away from a window, no matter what room he had been assigned. Levi had chalked it up to being jumpy in an unfamiliar place, had even attributed the action to a lingering anxiety Eren had towards him after their act to bring him into the Survey Corps. Now he realises that Eren probably hadn’t wanted to be seen staring out at the rain, engrossed to the point where he forgets his surroundings and simply watches and admires.

 

Of course a rogue titan would have such an affinity for the wildness of a storm. Both of them are untameable, Levi thinks.

 

Now, rivulets of water run off Eren's skin, along the grooves of bare muscles, and he closes his eyes and exhales nonchalantly as more lightning and thunder create a fierce display above their heads. He answers with his own voice, deep rumbling in his chest that Levi can now feel through his soles, vibrating through his bones.

 

Levi sighs and mutters under his breath about disobedience, stowing his blades so that his hands are free to adjust his hood better, it having shifted during his short flight. He crouches, the movement noticeable in Eren's periphery just as he opens his eyes again. And suddenly Levi is being granted a reprieve from the unrelenting shower. He looks up to see Eren's giant hand hovering above his head, providing what shelter he can.

 

“Eren, that room needs to be spotless, clean to my standards. I don’t want to see you slacking for the rest of the week,” Levi says, roughly but without bite, and Eren flicks an ear while he talks. He must understand that Levi’s words mean he is being granted permission to stay, though Levi can’t tell whether the booming grumble that he makes is positive or negative. Either way, Eren graciously keeps his hand where it is.

 

Levi turns to see Hanji hopping from foot to foot on the roof, their mantle fluttering wildly around their torso, hood thoroughly ignored.

 

“Oi, four-eyes! I’ll keep Eren out of trouble until he comes out. Go supervise the indoor squads,” he shouts, unwilling to suffer through whatever fanatical rants they have lined up after witnessing this whole thing. He can’t see their expression behind their goggles, but is surprised and highly suspicious when they agree without argument. “And have someone light the fucking fire while you’re at it,” he adds for good measure. The wind doesn’t muffle their cackling as they gracefully rappel down the side of the building and out of sight.

 

It’s at least another hour before Levi returns inside, to the luxuries of a warm shower and hot cup of tea. And in all that time, there is nothing but the storm and the titan shifter who sings with it resounding in his ears. And Levi tolerates the frozen fingers, all because Eren doesn’t stop smiling for the entire evening afterwards.

 

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr:[fortheloveoferen](http://fortheloveoferen.tumblr.com)


End file.
